So I am officially banned "until further notice" from the local internet cafe. This is kinda a funny story in retrospect.
So first off, when the cafe opened, I brought my laptop in so I could use one of their lines to connect my laptop. Some of the other cafes here allow you to so I figured I'd find out. I read the rules and it wasn't mentioned anywhere. So I proceeded to plug and play. I did this on several occasions (3-4 at least) and not only did the attendant NOT tell me I couldn't do it, he even asked me once if I could move to another spot because the computer in that other spot wasn't working but the line was....that way, I wasn't using up a computer that someone else could be using.
Then one night, I was using their computers because I didn't feel like grabbing my laptop. They were having trouble with the internet. (warning, geek speak to follow). I pulled up command prompt and ran ipconfig. It's a tool to show you if your computer is connecting properly or not. I noticed an issue with the numbers relating to the settings they were configuring. I pulled up internet explorer and logged into the router they were configuring (still on default password...lol) and confirmed that the setting were infact set incorrectly. I told informed them that the settings should be changed....but forgot to close the window before they looked over. They thought I had logged in and changed them in order to screw things up. It's like being found in a bank vault with a gun and trying to explain to the police that you forgot you had the gun on you and got lost looking for the bathroom. As true as it may be, circumstantial evidence makes you guilty. Thus, I got kicked out for "using command prompt and plugging in your own laptop".
I'll take the punishment for poking around where I shouldn't have, but the part about bringing my own computer, they should have informed me first! I was told that there's now a sign posted in there that bringing your own computer is not authorized. HAHA! That sign's for me! It's like a memorial to my former presence! In the mean time, I found another place that I can use my own computer. I can finally download podcasts and windows updates. Hooah!
Laters,
JP Out!
Monday, June 30, 2008
Monday, June 23, 2008
Lessons learned from 88 keys
Did you know that there are currently over 20 recognized different ways to tune a standard piano? Each tuning emphasizes certain characteristics or keys. Some sound brighter, some sound duller, some sound great in major keys but not in minor etc. Did you know that from the days of Chopin until the recent past, it was common to request a particular tuning for your piano? Did you know that in the last 20 years or so, most pianos have been tuned to the mathmatically "perfect" tuning?
To understand my point, I need to explain tuning and pianos a bit. Each key on the piano is one semitone apart. A, Bb, B, C, C# etc. Each semitone is further divided into cents. There are 100 cents between C and C#. Mathematically perfect tuning has all notes on the piano tuned exactly 100 cents apart from the lowest note to the highest note. This looks good on paper, but sounds mediocre at best. Think of it as a multi-purpose tuning that works like a sledge hammer on tac nails when trying to play the classical pieces.
Some of the other tunings put individual notes in the scale slightly sharp or flat depending on the tuning. Some notes are up to 10 cents off of mathematically perfect tuning. Most of the other tunings have the lowest notes tuned slightly sharp and the highest notes tuned slightly flat. (See below for technical explanation). Some of the more radical tunings have the lowest notes 25 cents flat and the highest notes 25 cents sharp. Combine both and you have some notes as far as 35+ cents off from mathematically perfect tuning.
Artists would often favor one tuning over another and write songs that work best in that tuning. Playing the song in any other tuning would still get the point across, but it'd be like an out of focus picture or hearing a symphony on a pocket radio.
This right here is an example of an overall change in the American society. No longer do you see the dedication to a skill that you used to. Instead of mechanics by trade or shop keeper by trade, you have mechanics and shop keepers by job title only. That's what they do until they can find a better paying job. No longer do people strive to be the best ______ they can be, but they move from job to job all through their careers, always trying to move up. What we're left with is an all purpose person with no real skills. They dedicated their career to learning a little about everything, rather than everything about a little. This has very real consequences.
There's a semi-retired car mechanic in my home town. He is truly dedicated to his work. With the exception of the most recent cars, you could give him make model year and brief description of the problem and he can tell you from memory what's wrong with the car, how long it'd take to fix and the likelihood of it breaking down again. There's no $100 service fee for him to take a look at the car, cause he didn't have to. $100 saved right there! In a more general sence, the quality of manufacturing has taken a nose dive in the last 20-30 years. I know, I'm only 23, but all of my stereo (with exception of my cd player) is all pre-1980s. My guitar amps are all 1950-1970s. My car (when it's finished) will date from 1967-1982 (it's a mutt of a car). My camera is from 1983. I know what manufacturing was like before I was born.
Take another example. It the heyday of film, you could buy at least 4 different kinds of black and white film, each with a choice of film speed, from Kodak alone. There's many other makers of black and white film. In color film, the numbers are even higher! Digital cameras, however, you've got many manufacturers, but the sensors are multi-speed, multi-purpose, technically perfect, but (in my opinion) mediocre at best.
If this trend continues, we'll transition from a bunch of unique individuals to a blob of mindless persons that think alike and do everything the same way and pretend to know everything about everything but in reality, know very little. Gone are creativity and innovation that birthed this nation. Forward progress will be stifled because no one is allowed to think differently. People will become more concerned with keeping others in line than encouraging the new. Art and innovation as we know it, will die.
If any of you have done a study on the hierarchy of needs, you'd know that I'm no longer nearly as busy as I used to be if I have time to write things like this. :)
Now for the technical explanation. When a string is played (be it plucked, struck or whatever), you hear a combination of notes. You hear the fundamental, which is the overwhelming tone. You also hear at a lower volume, a tone one octave higher. At a still lower volume, a tone 1 1/3 octaves higher, and still lower, 2 octaves higher. These are called harmonics. The one 1 octave higher is the 2nd harmonic, followed by the 3rd, 4th etc. This continues up to the limits of human hearing but is usually so low in volume that not much is heard after the 6th harmonic. Harmonics are easier for guitar players to understand. When you place your finger lightly on the string at the 12th fret, you isolate the 2nd harmonic. 7th fret is the 3rd harmonic and 5th fret is the 4th harmonic.
When the string is played, especially hard, it vibrates. When the middle of the string swings back and forth, the string stretches slightly. This raises the pitch of the harmonics, more so the higher the harmonic. If tuned mathematically perfect, the lowest notes of the piano will sound slightly sharp when compared to notes near middle C. The highest notes will sound flat because of the harmonics of the notes near middle C. Thus, as you go down from middle C, the strings are tuned progressively flatter to offset this and progressively sharper as you go higher. By adjusting within the scale, you align the harmonics of different notes so that particular combination sound good together, at the expense of other combination. Or, you can purposely detune some notes for a fuller, chorus effect. This is also easier for guitar players to try. On a 12 string guitar, tune the guitar to a tuner and try playing. Then, take one of the high B strings and one of the high E strings and tweak it slightly. It adds fullness. When done to the extreme, it sounds like a honky tonk piano.
JP OUT!
To understand my point, I need to explain tuning and pianos a bit. Each key on the piano is one semitone apart. A, Bb, B, C, C# etc. Each semitone is further divided into cents. There are 100 cents between C and C#. Mathematically perfect tuning has all notes on the piano tuned exactly 100 cents apart from the lowest note to the highest note. This looks good on paper, but sounds mediocre at best. Think of it as a multi-purpose tuning that works like a sledge hammer on tac nails when trying to play the classical pieces.
Some of the other tunings put individual notes in the scale slightly sharp or flat depending on the tuning. Some notes are up to 10 cents off of mathematically perfect tuning. Most of the other tunings have the lowest notes tuned slightly sharp and the highest notes tuned slightly flat. (See below for technical explanation). Some of the more radical tunings have the lowest notes 25 cents flat and the highest notes 25 cents sharp. Combine both and you have some notes as far as 35+ cents off from mathematically perfect tuning.
Artists would often favor one tuning over another and write songs that work best in that tuning. Playing the song in any other tuning would still get the point across, but it'd be like an out of focus picture or hearing a symphony on a pocket radio.
This right here is an example of an overall change in the American society. No longer do you see the dedication to a skill that you used to. Instead of mechanics by trade or shop keeper by trade, you have mechanics and shop keepers by job title only. That's what they do until they can find a better paying job. No longer do people strive to be the best ______ they can be, but they move from job to job all through their careers, always trying to move up. What we're left with is an all purpose person with no real skills. They dedicated their career to learning a little about everything, rather than everything about a little. This has very real consequences.
There's a semi-retired car mechanic in my home town. He is truly dedicated to his work. With the exception of the most recent cars, you could give him make model year and brief description of the problem and he can tell you from memory what's wrong with the car, how long it'd take to fix and the likelihood of it breaking down again. There's no $100 service fee for him to take a look at the car, cause he didn't have to. $100 saved right there! In a more general sence, the quality of manufacturing has taken a nose dive in the last 20-30 years. I know, I'm only 23, but all of my stereo (with exception of my cd player) is all pre-1980s. My guitar amps are all 1950-1970s. My car (when it's finished) will date from 1967-1982 (it's a mutt of a car). My camera is from 1983. I know what manufacturing was like before I was born.
Take another example. It the heyday of film, you could buy at least 4 different kinds of black and white film, each with a choice of film speed, from Kodak alone. There's many other makers of black and white film. In color film, the numbers are even higher! Digital cameras, however, you've got many manufacturers, but the sensors are multi-speed, multi-purpose, technically perfect, but (in my opinion) mediocre at best.
If this trend continues, we'll transition from a bunch of unique individuals to a blob of mindless persons that think alike and do everything the same way and pretend to know everything about everything but in reality, know very little. Gone are creativity and innovation that birthed this nation. Forward progress will be stifled because no one is allowed to think differently. People will become more concerned with keeping others in line than encouraging the new. Art and innovation as we know it, will die.
If any of you have done a study on the hierarchy of needs, you'd know that I'm no longer nearly as busy as I used to be if I have time to write things like this. :)
Now for the technical explanation. When a string is played (be it plucked, struck or whatever), you hear a combination of notes. You hear the fundamental, which is the overwhelming tone. You also hear at a lower volume, a tone one octave higher. At a still lower volume, a tone 1 1/3 octaves higher, and still lower, 2 octaves higher. These are called harmonics. The one 1 octave higher is the 2nd harmonic, followed by the 3rd, 4th etc. This continues up to the limits of human hearing but is usually so low in volume that not much is heard after the 6th harmonic. Harmonics are easier for guitar players to understand. When you place your finger lightly on the string at the 12th fret, you isolate the 2nd harmonic. 7th fret is the 3rd harmonic and 5th fret is the 4th harmonic.
When the string is played, especially hard, it vibrates. When the middle of the string swings back and forth, the string stretches slightly. This raises the pitch of the harmonics, more so the higher the harmonic. If tuned mathematically perfect, the lowest notes of the piano will sound slightly sharp when compared to notes near middle C. The highest notes will sound flat because of the harmonics of the notes near middle C. Thus, as you go down from middle C, the strings are tuned progressively flatter to offset this and progressively sharper as you go higher. By adjusting within the scale, you align the harmonics of different notes so that particular combination sound good together, at the expense of other combination. Or, you can purposely detune some notes for a fuller, chorus effect. This is also easier for guitar players to try. On a 12 string guitar, tune the guitar to a tuner and try playing. Then, take one of the high B strings and one of the high E strings and tweak it slightly. It adds fullness. When done to the extreme, it sounds like a honky tonk piano.
JP OUT!
Sunday, June 22, 2008
Mail and Fee Mail
The above title is what you get when the author of the blog is sleep deprived
Anywho, I suppose it's time to start using the new address. Which, it has changed from the one I gave out a week or two ago. I have not called it home yet, but plan to in the next 24 hours.
As for the brownie contest, I've only received entries from one person so far. I doubt anything sent at this point will make it by the cutoff date. I will still accept entries up to the end date. Best of luck, and may the best person win.
JP OUT!
Anywho, I suppose it's time to start using the new address. Which, it has changed from the one I gave out a week or two ago. I have not called it home yet, but plan to in the next 24 hours.
As for the brownie contest, I've only received entries from one person so far. I doubt anything sent at this point will make it by the cutoff date. I will still accept entries up to the end date. Best of luck, and may the best person win.
JP OUT!
Sunday, June 15, 2008
Nothing Ever Changes
Nothing ever stays the same.
That's my philisophical quote for today.
Before I continue, HAPPY FATHER'S DAY!!! I want to give a shout out to all fathers out there. I personally think they should rename it to Dad's day, because anyone can be a father, but it takes a great man can be a dad. Dad, you didn't have to physically be there when I was born, but you choose to. You could have walked out, but you remained committed. You could have buried yourself in your work, or drowned yourself in alcohol, but I thank God that you didn't! Instead, you were there to teach me, to play with me, to correct me, and mostly, to love me. You not only showed me what it is to be a man, but to be a husband and a father. I know that if my kids (one day) turn out to be even half as perfect as me (HA!), that I can tell them it was you who taught me to be who I am. Thank you, dad! I love you!
To all the fathers that abandon their children, I hope you get hit by a bus.
Now back to regular scheduled programming.
Ever seem like your life is so routine, that every day is like the next? It seems like nothing ever changes. Then one day, you notice how different life is now from even a month ago. It feels like the movie Groundhog Day over here. Each day starting like the last and each night ending the same way. Yet, looking back to a month ago, almost everything has changed. One of the workers in my section, she went home permanently due to medical issues. The person in charge of us is no longer our boss. It's about 20 degrees hotter than before. And I'm that much closer to going home.
It's wierd how when you don't take time to notice change, it goes by undetected until one day it hits you just how different things are. I know I'm being ambigous but I can't say much in the way of details. But anywho...
I'm still very very busy. I was working until 9pm the last two days and I was starting at 6am and 4am on those days. I pretended to be dehydrated/sick today just to get a couple hours of sleep. Course, you'all can't feel too bad for me cause now I'm here typing this instead of sleeping. (I actually got off around 6:30p today!)
Well, I suppose that's all for now.
JP OUT!
That's my philisophical quote for today.
Before I continue, HAPPY FATHER'S DAY!!! I want to give a shout out to all fathers out there. I personally think they should rename it to Dad's day, because anyone can be a father, but it takes a great man can be a dad. Dad, you didn't have to physically be there when I was born, but you choose to. You could have walked out, but you remained committed. You could have buried yourself in your work, or drowned yourself in alcohol, but I thank God that you didn't! Instead, you were there to teach me, to play with me, to correct me, and mostly, to love me. You not only showed me what it is to be a man, but to be a husband and a father. I know that if my kids (one day) turn out to be even half as perfect as me (HA!), that I can tell them it was you who taught me to be who I am. Thank you, dad! I love you!
To all the fathers that abandon their children, I hope you get hit by a bus.
Now back to regular scheduled programming.
Ever seem like your life is so routine, that every day is like the next? It seems like nothing ever changes. Then one day, you notice how different life is now from even a month ago. It feels like the movie Groundhog Day over here. Each day starting like the last and each night ending the same way. Yet, looking back to a month ago, almost everything has changed. One of the workers in my section, she went home permanently due to medical issues. The person in charge of us is no longer our boss. It's about 20 degrees hotter than before. And I'm that much closer to going home.
It's wierd how when you don't take time to notice change, it goes by undetected until one day it hits you just how different things are. I know I'm being ambigous but I can't say much in the way of details. But anywho...
I'm still very very busy. I was working until 9pm the last two days and I was starting at 6am and 4am on those days. I pretended to be dehydrated/sick today just to get a couple hours of sleep. Course, you'all can't feel too bad for me cause now I'm here typing this instead of sleeping. (I actually got off around 6:30p today!)
Well, I suppose that's all for now.
JP OUT!
Wednesday, June 11, 2008
*Insert Cliche Title Here*
Long time, no post
Recently, I've been busier than you could imagin. My schedule consists of starting work at 0600 or 0630 and I get off between 2100 and 2200. I usually sneak in an hour nap after lunch just to make it through the day. Things should be settling down in about a month, but you never know.
The brownie contest, as of today, 11Jun08, I've only received one package of brownies. There were approximately 7 types in that one box. I'm still waiting on more, or that one person will take 1st and 2nd prize by default! Not quite a contest....
Once things settle down again, I should have better access to the internet too!
Gotta run!
JP OUT!
Recently, I've been busier than you could imagin. My schedule consists of starting work at 0600 or 0630 and I get off between 2100 and 2200. I usually sneak in an hour nap after lunch just to make it through the day. Things should be settling down in about a month, but you never know.
The brownie contest, as of today, 11Jun08, I've only received one package of brownies. There were approximately 7 types in that one box. I'm still waiting on more, or that one person will take 1st and 2nd prize by default! Not quite a contest....
Once things settle down again, I should have better access to the internet too!
Gotta run!
JP OUT!
Thursday, June 5, 2008
False Alarm!
Sort of.
I've given my new address to "the contact personnel" for all those wanting it. However, the old address is still valid for a little bit longer. There's actually a danger that using the new address too soon will result in "return to sender"s so continue to use the old address until I give the word.
I know, you all are getting mad with this whole address ordeal. Blame President Bush. Watch the news enough and you realize that everything is his fault. Except global warming. Al Gore invented that.
The past few weeks and the next several weeks are going to be quite busy for me which is why I haven't been posting a lot and I won't be able to post often.
Laters!
JP Out!
I've given my new address to "the contact personnel" for all those wanting it. However, the old address is still valid for a little bit longer. There's actually a danger that using the new address too soon will result in "return to sender"s so continue to use the old address until I give the word.
I know, you all are getting mad with this whole address ordeal. Blame President Bush. Watch the news enough and you realize that everything is his fault. Except global warming. Al Gore invented that.
The past few weeks and the next several weeks are going to be quite busy for me which is why I haven't been posting a lot and I won't be able to post often.
Laters!
JP Out!
Tuesday, June 3, 2008
HOLD THE MAIL!!!
Hey y'all! I've got a new address! Well, I haven't had a chance to relay it over the phone yet, but I will shortly. I will let you know asap when the address has been delivered. So please hold all mail until then. Anything already sent will be automatically forwarded. I will extend the contest another week.
You all know who to contact when the address is sent, right?
Laters!
JP OUT!
You all know who to contact when the address is sent, right?
Laters!
JP OUT!
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